Int J Plant Anim Environ Sci 2021; 11 (2): 295-321 DOI: 10.26502/ijpaes.202107 Research Article Peruvian Medicinal Plants and Cosmopolitan Plants with Potential use in the Treatment of Respiratory Diseases and COVID-19 Guillermo E. Delgado-Paredes1,2*, Paulo R. Delgado-Rojas3, Consuelo Rojas-Idrogo1,2 1Laboratory of Plant Tissue Culture and Genetic Resources - Faculty of Biological Sciences, Pedro Ruiz Gallo National University, Lambayeque (Peru) 2General Laboratory of Biotechnology - Vice-Rector's Office for Research (UNPRG) 3Faculty of Medicine, San Martín de Porres University, North Branch (Chiclayo), Peru *Corresponding Author: Guillermo E. Delgado-Paredes. General Laboratory of Biotechnology, Vice President for Research (UNPRG), Atahualpa 423, Lambayeque, Peru, Tel; +51948301087 Received: 11 May 2021; Accepted: 19 May 2021; Published: 24 May 2021 Citation: Guillermo E. Delgado-Paredes, Paulo R. Delgado-Rojas, Consuelo Rojas-Idrogo. Peruvian Medicinal Plants and Cosmopolitan Plants with Potential use in the Treatment of Respiratory Diseases and COVID-19. International Journal of Plant, Animal and Environmental Sciences 11 (2021): 295-321. Abstract others, lead to proposing and developing other The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, responsible for alternatives. One of these alternatives is the use of COVID-19, has caused more than 157 million medicinal plants, especially those plants traditionally infections and more than 3.2 million deaths. A short- used in the treatment of respiratory tract diseases, term solution is the production of vaccines that both in Peru and the world, without risks or collateral confer temporary or permanent immunity. However, problems for the human being and validated with the genetic variants of the virus, with greater phytochemical and ethnopharmacological studies. contagion and lethality capacity, the economic The flora of Peru is particularly rich in these species limitations of many countries in the world to acquire and even more so in endemic species, potentially vaccines, the limited and controversial effectiveness useful against SARS-CoV-2. The aim of this review of the drugs tested, the logistical problems of is to highlight some Peruvian medicinal plants and conservation and distribution of vaccines, among species introduced and commercialized in Peru International Journal of Plant, Animal and Environmental Sciences Vol. 11 No. 2 – June 295 2021 Int J Plant Anim Environ Sci 2021; 11 (2): 295-321 DOI: 10.26502/ijpaes.202107 (Cosmopolitan species) potentially useful in the applied to a standardized treatment. In addition, many treatment of respiratory diseases and COVID-19. people have been conducted to use some drugs indiscriminately, even without a prescription, which Keywords: Antiviral activity; Cosmopolitan plants; may cause more harm than good to health [11,12]. COVID-19; natural products; Peruvian medicinal Drugs like ivermectin, hydroxychloroquine, plants; respiratory diseases azithromycin, dexamethasone, and paracetamol have been widely published. Is possible that this disorderly 1. Introduction form of medication, the diverse geographic The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, the coronavirus that environments where the virus is spreading and other causes COVID-19, which originated in 2019 in factors yet to be investigated, are determining the Wuhan (China), has caused more than 157 million apperance of more genetic variants of the virus. infections to date (May 7, 2021) and more than 3.2 million deaths [1]. The efforts made by various It exits enormous asymmetry about the distribution of academic institutions and private laboratories around vaccines in the world to the detriment of countries the world in the search for an efficient vaccine to with very poor, underdeveloped or developing combat the disease have been commendable [2,3]. economies to the point that, until February 2021, only Several of these vaccines have shown an immune ten countries considered first world have efficiency greater than 90%, which has been quite monopolized 90% of world vaccine production significant [4-6]. However, the appearance of new (Israel, United Kingdom, United States, Spain, Italy, genetic variants of the virus such as the British (14 Germany, Belgium, France, Canada and Netherlands) December 2020), South African (18 December [13]. On the other hand, some vaccines need the 2020), Japanese (09 January 2021), and Brazilian (12 protection of a cold chain of up to -50 oC, which January 2021) variants [7], which are attributed a implies having sophisticated refrigeration equipment; greater infectious capacity and possibly greater in addition, the vast majority of vaccines require up lethality, have generated uncertainty in the to two application doses in a three-week interval, international scientific community about the efficacy making it difficult to apply a second dose in itinerant of such vaccines and the time of immunological populations. The presence of many populations far protection that they can confer. The entire genome of from the main populated centers such as high-Andean SARS-CoV-2 viral strains circulating worldwide has and jungle populations of Peru and other countries of been suggested to involve high heterogeneity [8,9]. the world with similar geography, the mass vaccination process would be very complicated to Despite the large number of ultimate generation apply massive vaccination. drugs tested in the treatment of SARS-CoV-2 such as remdesivir, favipiravir (= favilavir), lopinavir, Numerous ethnobotanicals and ethnopharmacological ritonavir, among others [10], none of these have studies have demonstrated the potential of plant shown absolute efficacy to the point that it can be species in the treatment and cure of numerous International Journal of Plant, Animal and Environmental Sciences Vol. 11 No. 2 – June 296 2021 Int J Plant Anim Environ Sci 2021; 11 (2): 295-321 DOI: 10.26502/ijpaes.202107 diseases that afflict humans since their origins and of this review is to emphasize the importance of currently against COVID-19 [14,15]. However, in Peruvian medicinal plants and numerous most of these studies plants of Asian and European cosmopolitan species in the treatment of SARS-CoV- origin have been used and in no case South American 2, based in the use of some plant compositions, with plants [15]. A notable example is traditional Chinese high content of secondary metabolites, which may be medicine [16-18] and traditional Indian medicine ingested as decoction, especially by rural and native [19] in the treatment of respiratory tract diseases. In populations, without risk to health, thus contributing these compositions, the curative potential of most of to the solution of a serious health problem that these plants was validated with numerous involves all of humanity. phytochemical and pharmacological studies [15]. The discovery of numerous secondary metabolites with 2. Methods potent antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2 [20-22] The method used was the review of relevant literature have opened a new horizon of hope in the treatment on the plant species used in traditional Peruvian of this disease. medicine and species of cosmopolitan distribution and use. Likewise, it is worth highlighting the plant Given this, the use of medicinal plants, mainly used species studied phytochemically and pharma- in traditional Peruvian medicine of the ancestral cologically, due to the presence of secondary peoples of the coast, mountains and jungle of Peru, in metabolites with antiviral effect, especially against the treatment of respiratory diseases, would be an respiratory tract diseases and SARS-CoV-2. In most important alternative, if we consider that the Flora of cases the Scopus database was use with articles Peru registers more of 22,000 species and many of published between 2010 to 2020, and articles these endemic [23, 24]. In addition to this, the great published between 1993 to 2010 on the flora of Peru diversity of secondary metabolites of medicinal and medicinal plants. In this way, the authors plants would make it very difficult for SARS-CoV-2 prepared a list of plant species that can be used to (COVID-19) to generate resistance and consequently prepare decoction for the initial and preventive genetic variations, and the use of hetergeneous plant treatment of SARS-CoV-2 and eventually to extracts to induce a synergistic effect over some strengthen the immune system of rural and native specific organism [25]. Likewise, the appearance of populations. other viral forms of the coronavirus family should be considered, as has already happened with the Severe 3. Results acute respiratory sindrome (SARS), in february, 2003 A list of introduced and naturalized, commercialized, [26] and Middle east respiratory syndrome and native plants, which contain secondary coronavirus (MERS-CoV), in june, 2012 [27]. metabolites with potential use in the treatment of respiratory tract diseases and against SARS-CoV-2 Because of the afore mentioned reasons, the objective (COVID-19), is show in table 1. International Journal of Plant, Animal and Environmental Sciences Vol. 11 No. 2 – June 297 2021 Int J Plant Anim Environ Sci 2021; 11 (2): 295-321 DOI: 10.26502/ijpaes.202107 Plant species/Family Biological activities/ Secondary metabolites References [Traditional use] Alnus spp./Betulaceae Several biological activities Hirsutenone [28, 29] (as A. japonica) Alnus acuminata ssp. arguta [Anti-inflammatory] Triterpenoids and [30] diarylheptanoids A. acuminata (Aliso blanco and [Cold] Bark, fresh [31, 32] aliso colorado, aliso andino)